Chapter 50

Rose

I open my eyes and hear the sound of water. I turn my head and take in my surroundings. I'm in a beautiful grassy meadow; it's much more beautiful than anything I've ever seen before. I follow the sound of water and find a creek with bubbling water that's so clear I can see the bottom. My heart feels light, lighter than it's ever felt before. I sense someone behind me, and I turn around quickly. I'm shocked to see Talya and Liam standing in front of me, holding hands.

"Hey Rose," Talya says sadly. Liam gives me a gentle smile but doesn't say anything. I notice the way he's holding her hand tightly, and it makes my heart stutter for a moment. It's like my heart wants to remember something...someone. But it's just out of reach. I smile as I walk towards them, feeling like I'm floating on air.

"What is this place?" I can't help but ask. "It's so beautiful and peaceful."

Talya looks around. "It can be." Her words are cryptic, but I don't push her for an explanation.

"Have you been here before?" I ask.

Talya nods. "Many times."

"Really?" My interest is piqued. But before I can ask her any more about it, a new voice joins us.

"Healer." I turn my head to see a huge wolf standing a short distance away. Talya and Liam step to the side, allowing me to see the wolf clearly. I glance at the two of them, but neither of them look scared. They look more...wary. I turn back to the wolf and feel a sense of calm and peace unlike anything I've ever felt before. I couldn't hold back the smile on my face if I tried. "You've done well, Healer." I stare at the wolf. It's obvious the words came from him, but it's odd—hearing a voice coming from a wolf. "I've seen the work you've done. You've used your healing powers in a way that makes me pleased."

I blink as memories begin to tug at my sub-conscious. "Healer?"

"You have the ability to heal. With that ability comes a huge responsibility. You must be selfless and constantly give of yourself in a very literal sense. You've done well, and I could not be more pleased with the way you have saved the lives of my wolves in the Orlando Pack."

Wolves...Orlando Pack...healing...Each of the words flit through my head and stir up memories, but they slip away before I can fully grasp them.

I look over to Talya. It's odd that I know who they are, but I can't remember anything about them. "Are you healers too?"

Talya glances at the wolf before giving me a gentle smile. "No. I'm a dreamer, and Liam is the beta for the Northwoods Pack." She looks at me like those words should mean something, but they simply don't.

"What's a dreamer?"

The wolf is the one that answers my questions. "Talya is one of my creations. She meets with me in this place and works with me to help my wolves."

My mind doesn't exactly process his words, but I nod anyway. "So this is like..." my fragile mind doesn't seem to want to wrap around anything too tightly. I wonder if there's something it's trying to keep me from remembering. But every time I push, the thoughts that seem so close slip just out of my reach. So, I let them go and let the peace of this place soak into me.

"This is called the dream state," the wolf says by way of explanation.

"Oh." I look around. "That makes sense; it's beautiful." I turn back to face her and Liam. They both look so sad. "Why are you both so sad when it's so beautiful here?"

"Why doesn't she remember anything?" Talya asks quietly.

"Her mind doesn't work the same way yours does up here. You're in the dream state; Liam is as well. Rose is not." The wolf's words sort of roll right over me.

"Healer." The wolf's voice commands my attention, and I turn my gaze back to him. "You saved the rogue wolves, even when no one thought they were worth saving. That took courage. Thank you for healing them, for seeing past what they currently were."

"She healed rogue wolves?" Talya asks, sucking in a breath.

"She did." The wolf's words continue to flow over me. "And it was a rogue that killed her."

Talya makes a sound, and I turn back to face the wolf. Those words finally pull my attention, and my mind begins to make its way back to what happened before I came here. It's hard, kind of like wading through fog. "A rogue," I repeat softly.

"Yes. Your mate held him down while you healed him."

"My mate." The words sound foreign on my tongue.

"Yes. The one who gave you that bite mark on your left shoulder."

I look down at my shoulder and see the outline of a bite mark. I try to remember, but I just can't. "I don't have any memory of that."

"You wouldn't," the wolf explains. "It was after your death."

I suck in a breath. "My...death." Those words cut through the fog unlike anything else.

"Maverick did it after your death."

Maverick .

His name slams through my mind with the force of a freight train, and suddenly everything is back. A strangled sound leaves my throat. "I died? But what about Mav? The pack? No, this can't be...no." My voice dies on a painful sob. Talya puts her hand on my shoulder but doesn't say anything. "This can't be it."

"Why not?" The wolf's voice is not unkind.

"Because I have more to do. I need to be there for the pack." My head snaps up. "I need to heal the rest of those rogues."

"More Rogues?" It's the first time Liam's said anything in this dream state or whatever it is.

But I don't have time to explain everything to him. "And Mav. Mav needs me." The words hurt to even say. "He's been through so much. This will be too much. Please don't do this to him." I realize I'm pleading with him, but I can't bring myself to care.

"You're right. Maverick has been through so much."

"That's why he needs me," I can't stay quiet. "Please...and...and I need him." The truth hits me like a ton of bricks. I don't know when it happened, but Mav has become important to me. "I haven't gotten close to a lot of people in my life, but—" The words cease to form on my tongue.

"But you have with Maverick," the wolf says for me.

I nod even as a tear drips down my cheek. "And I feel safe with him." I meet his eyes. "For probably the first time in my life."

"I know." His voice is more gentle now.

"That's why I have to go back," I continue to plead my case. "Please. Mav needs me."

It's absolutely silent, and I fight the urge to say more. "You saved the life of one of my wolves when it could have meant certain death to you." I realize he's talking about the rogue wolf I healed. "It's a life debt. I could send you back because of that life debt." I hold my breath, daring to hope. "But Rose, you must understand. If I do this, it can never be done again. The next time you come here, it will be to pass to the other side."

I nod solemnly. "I understand."

"Do you want to go back?" he asks.

"More than anything," I breathe out.

"So be it then."

Tears flood my eyes. "Thank you," I whisper in gratitude.

"There is much ahead for you, gentle healer. Mating, becoming a mother, a grandmother, healing and changing lives. Don't be hasty and reckless and miss out on your future because of the decisions you make. Let your mate guide you and protect you and keep you from burning out."

Tears drip down my cheeks. "A mother?" I can't get past that part. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"You will make a good mother because of what you've been through," the wolf says as gently as I've heard him say anything. "Use your past to fuel your love for your children and your mate. It's the experiences you've had that cause you to feel so broken that will make you the mom you need to be. Work with your mate, and you will find yourself blessed and whole in a way you never imagined."

The tears are flowing freely. "Is that why I endured what I did?" I whisper.

"Child, do you understand how the earth rotates perfectly on its axis? Why the wind sways this way or that? Or how a baby is developed in its mother's uterus? Neither can you understand all that comes your way in this life. It's not for you to understand fully on that side. For now, you are to live your life to the fullest. Love your family, take care of your pack, and be the woman you were created to be. Everything will become clear one day."

"I will," I whisper. "Thank you for this second chance. I won't disappoint you with it."

"I was never worried."

He turns his gaze to Talya and Liam. I watch as Liam's shoulders tense, and he pulls Talya closer, without ever releasing his hold on her hand. "Times are changing once again, and we must adapt."

Talya gives him a wary look. "What does that mean?"

"These wolves that Rose was healing weren't rogue. At least not in the traditional sense."

"What do you mean?" Talya asks.

"They were made rogue." He pauses. "By the vampires."

Talya sucks in a breath. "Vampires? I thought we got them all."

"We struck a blow, a heavy blow; but we didn't knock them out. They've adapted, changed. They're targeting my wolves now."

"What? How?" Talya asks.

"What have you seen in your dreamwalking?" he asks.

"I've seen young wolves, rogue wolves, wolves outside a pack...they're always chasing after something."

"From what I can piece together, the vampires go after the younger wolves, the weak ones, the stragglers, the ones on the outside of packs...before they've lost their minds and turned rogue. They inject them with a serum that causes them to go after other wolves. Once they bite them, they turn as well. The only way to stop them is to heal them. Completely."

"That's why they came after me?" I ask, feeling sick.

"Yes, I believe so. You will have to talk to the leader of their group to confirm, but that is my guess."

"This is a whole new threat to every single pack," Liam says, his voice low with anger.

"Yes." The wolf turns to Liam and takes a few steps closer. "My wolves have always risen to the occasion. This time will be no different."

Liam looks down at Talya. "We have to warn the other packs."

She nods, and I can see the fear clearly on her face. "The vampires are back." Her words are a whisper.

"They were never really gone," the wolf reminds her. "You must find them and eradicate them and find the other healers, while you're at it."

"Wait, what?" Talya asks. "There are more healers?"

"More like me and Ava and Sage and Samantha?" I ask as a sick feeling floods my stomach.

"Yes. But you must understand; things have changed. I only ever created one healer."

I suck in a breath. "What?"

"I created the finder with the job of finding other girls with special abilities. She did that. She found Talya, my dreamwalker, Sage, my healer, and Raechel, my harbinger. She was the harbinger of the great war. They were all created; but you and Ava and Samantha were formed."

"I don't understand."

"You were formed as a result of the combination of your blood type along with the injections the vampires put into you. I never expected more healers. Samantha was the first, and then you and Ava."

I stare at him, shocked by his words. "So, there are probably more of us out there."

"Any female that has your blood type and is injected with the serum the vampires use will produce another healer. As far as we know, it doesn't work on males. But that's only what we know so far."

My eyes meet Talya's, and I feel like I'm going to throw up.

Her face is just as pale. "She told me she's been having visions again." Her words are so soft I can barely hear them. I know exactly who she's talking about. Emma—the finder. She turns her face to Liam. "We have to find them and rescue them."

He gives her a fierce look. "We will."

"You need to talk to the leader of the rogues and see what he can tell you about the vampires and their plan," the wolf says to me.

I nod. "I will."

It's silent for a few beats, and I'm at a loss for what to say. My mind is racing with everything I've learned. "It's time to get back to work," the wolf says. And with that, I wake up.